The Killers close Hollywood Christmas bash; No Doubt are surprise guests

No Doubt surprised the crowd at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Hollywood with a set of their biggest hits at KROQ’s 23rd Annual Almost Acoustic Christmas on Sunday night (December 9). Hidden under a different name on the program for the evening, No Doubt were sandwiched between sets by Fun and Jack White before the night’s headliner, The Killers.

The event is a two-night holiday bash thrown by Southern California radio station KROQ, and featured several artists nominated for Grammys last week. Night one performances included Garbage, the Gaslight Anthem featuring Jakob Dylan, the Lumineers, Two Door Cinema Club, Walk the Moon, Bush, Rise Against, and Linkin Park. Rumours of No Doubt’s secret set jumped when Gwen Stefani joined her husband, Gavin Rossdale of Bush, for a performance of 'Glycerine' on Saturday night, as pictured (above right).

Artists performed on a revolving stage that left no downtime between sets. Headliners received 45 minutes, other acts 30, typically resulting in a 'greatest hits' set for each band. Playing only 'Sixteen Saltines' and 'Freedom At 21' from his Grammy-nominated 'Blunderbuss', Jack White played songs by The White Stripes, the Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, also covering 'Two Against One' by Danger Mouse. The rest of the second night's lineup included Imagine Dragons, Alex Clare, Of Monsters and Men, Grouplove, Neon Trees, Passion Pit, Grammy nominees M83 and Fun, and finally The Killers.

Taking the stage around 11 p.m. (PST), The Killers closed the weekend with Brandon Flowers saying: "I know you’ve seen a lot of bands tonight, but if you’ve got one more in you, we’re going to go as hard as we can."

The Killers play their rearranged UK tour date in support of 'Battle Born' at Manchester Arena on February 17 before continuing on to Europe.